UCONN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Huskies set to face Notre Dame in Final Four

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NOTRE DAME VS. UCONN

? When: Sunday, approximately 9 p.m.

? Where: New Orleans Arena

? Records: Notre Dame 35-1; UConn 33-4

? TV: ESPN

? RADIO: WTIC-1080; WELI-960

KEEP AN EYE ON

? No intros necessary: Did anyone think it would end any other way? Notre Dame junior center Natalie Achonwa said that the teams have played so much they call each other by their middle names. Players from both teams have tried to downplay the impact of the first three meetings this season, all won by the Fighting Irish. There are plenty who believe it is incredibly difficult for one team to beat another four times in the same season when they are as evenly matched as the Huskies and Fighting Irish. However, others think it is not a coincidence that Notre Dame was able to pull out the wins in the closing seconds so often in the last couple of the seasons.

? Dolson back at practice: UConn junior center Stefanie Dolson has been dealing with a stress fracture in her right ankle and an issue with her left foot which kept her out of the majority of practices during the postseason. However, Dolson said she was able to practice without restriction on Friday and Saturday and is expected to be in the lineup against Notre Dame.

? Freshmen try to buck recent history: First-year phenoms have not always had the easiest of times in the national semifinals. The legendary Diana Taurasi was 1 of 15 from the field in a loss to Notre Dame in the 2001 Final Four, and even skilled offensive players like Maya Moore and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis had off nights shooting. With Breanna Stewart leading a trio of talented UConn freshmen, and Notre Dame's Jewell Loyd raking in a host of national freshman of the year awards, plenty of eyes will be on the two young stars to see how they deal with the pressure.

? Who's on the whistle? While the focus will be on the players, this has not been the best officiated NCAA tournament. It will be worth seeing not only who gets assigned to the highly-anticipated rematch, but also how much physical contact is allowed between these two fierce rivals.